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Winter in Zion National Parks brings the eagles. The eagles live in Zion year round, but during the winter when small game gets more difficult to find, the eagles come closer to the road. Why? Roadkill. These awesome predators of nature sit and wait in tall trees in view of the road, waiting for a car to drive by and put an end to some other animal's life, so the eagle can get a free lunch. With the 500mm lens I could get really close. This shot was cropped only a tiny bit, and not to "Zoom in" on the bird, but to crop out part of a distracting branch.

by Christian Williams

I'd passed by eagles several times before. I found the best way to get the shot is not to try to sneak up on the bird. Whenever I tried that, they'd fly away. But if I immediately stopped the car right in front of it, and jump out with camera ready, the eagles didn't seem to mind. It was as if they distrusted anything trying to sneak up on them, but if you were in plain sight where they could keep an eye on you, everything was ok.

These photos are from an area I like to call, "Hidden Falls". When driving the switchbacks to Zion tunnel, just above Pine Creek, there is a waterfall that can be found only when it rains. It is not visible from the road, only when one stops at a certain pullout on the switchbacks and hikes around the corner can it be seen. On this rainy day I hiked over to the falls which is quite large, and took some photos. As I followed the stream down from the main pool, however, I found a multitude of small falls that attracted my interest, and I spent time photographing many of these mini waterfalls.

by Christian Williams

An interesting view of another waterfall. The large fallen tree is a reminder of the many storms and flash floods that have left behind much debris.

Christian looked at this photo and commented that the red rock looks like Mars. Zion has some unique rock formations and color in the canyon walls that does make it seem other-worldly at times. The small manzanita plant growing straight out of the rock is once again a strange contrast in colors and also a reminder that desert plants can survive in the harshest landscapes.

by Christian Williams
Zion is not a place where one often sees reflections in still mountain lakes. In this desert landscape, there is usually only snow melt or the Virgin River running through the park. When I caught sight of this still puddle, I sat near it for a few hours, captivated by the reflection in it, and taking photos from different angles to capture the scene.

While always beautiful, Zion is my favorite as the sun is setting. The rays of light cause trees and rocks to glow with warm light, changing the rocks from red to gold to pink before the sun disappears beyond the horizon.

by Christian Williams
The contrast between the warm light of sunset and the darkening shadows in the canyons brings out unique features in the rock formations of Zion.

We were driving through Zion when we noticed this group of three young mountain sheep. There were no adults around, so perhaps these young sheep were off partying. Karen photographed them from the front of the canyon while Christian hiked around the backside to get a view of them from the top.

by Christian Williams
By the time Christian got to the top of the canyon, which was behind the sheep they had moved on. Apparently sheep can move quicker in the mountains than people can. But the view was nice.

by Christian Williams
I woke early in the morning and headed to Zion to take pictures at sunrise. I set up my tripod, and shot some photos, but they didn't turn out as nice as I had hoped. Sometimes even the best laid plans don't go how we want them to.

I went hiking in a small wash that winds its way through east Zion. Hiking in the washes is always rewarded with new views of canyons, interesting plants, or today, a narrow section of the canyon that was flooded with old rain water, creating a little pond that reflected the canyon walls above.

by Christian Williams
I was drawn to this compisition of Upper Emerald Falls because it shows how massive the cliff faces of Zion truly are. Emerald Falls is a towering waterfall, but it looks like a small trickle next to the massive walls in the main canyon of Zion National Park.

by Christian Williams
The sun came out and the tourists came back to Weeping Rock. I already took a picture of this, but with the sun shining down I wanted to take another photo before the unique ice at the base of the waterfall melted away.

by Christian Williams
The melting snow in the top of the canyons created a waterfall that froze in the cold shade of this canyon. I intentionally placed the dormant tree in the foreground of this photo because it reminded me of the Spooky Old Tree from the Berenstein Bears. If you haven't read the book, you should - it is a classic.

The weather was very unique this year. The rapid changes in temperature from one day to the next led to waterfalls, icicles, and frozen plants that we have not experienced any other year in the park. The weather got so cold this morning that the plants all around this waterfall froze inspite of the water pouring down on them.

by Christian Williams
This large waterfall in front of Weeping Rock is usually just a trickle of water, but this winter it turned into a stunning waterfall from all the snow melt.

by Christian Williams
The skies have cleared, but the warm weather continues to melt the snow, which continues to cause flooding problems for residents along the Virgin River in Washington County. The washes in Zion National Park which were usually dry, flowed with raging fast moving streams.

I went for a long hike through East Zion and as I hiked back into the canyons there were waterfalls everywhere from the rain and melting snow. The floods in the Virgin River and Washington County continued to worsen as the rain showed no signs of stopping.

by Christian Williams
For some reason, this photo is one of my favorites. Everything in Zion was soaking wet, giving a rich lively color to the landcape. Perhaps I like this photo so much because I've driven hundreds of times on this twisting switchback road. Or maybe it's the mile long rain/snow melt induced waterfall in the background, that continued down all the way from the top of Mount Spry above.

by Christian Williams
Zion was still getting hammered with intermitted rain and snow, and visibility was very poor. After hiking around most of the day with a foggy camera lens, the clouds cleared just barely enough to get this shot.

I am intrigued by the formation of icicles on plants. It is not something I had seen previous to living near Zion, and even in Zion it is a rare sight. I have always thought of icicles as hanging off of roofs or rock overhangs. This frozen plant makes it seem as though winter came just after summer, freezing the flowers directly on the vine.

by Christian Williams
This winter storm was harsh, with the main canyon of Zion being drowned in freezing rain, while East Zion was covered in six inches of fluffy powder snow.

I spent this foggy morning taking pictures in East Zion. As I traveled toward the tunnel into Main Canyon, I stopped to take in the view of this twisting canyon with snow capped Bridge Mountain in the background.

by Christian Williams
On my way home the fog rolled in to cover most of Long Valley, the area a few miles east of Zion National Park. The dreamy beauty of this scene had to be captured. Although not technically in Zion National Park, the mountains of this area also are spectacular, with a similar geology.

by Karen Williams
As I was walking by, I noticed this crooked branch on the juniper tree mimicked the large crack in the canyon behind it. The weather conditions were cold and wet, but these juniper berries seemed to glow in what little sunshine that made it through the clouds.

by Karen Williams
The Checkerboard Mesa is an iconic landmark in East Zion. One of the great things about taking photos in the snow is all the white reflects the sun light. Even with the front of Checkboard Mesa under the shadow of the sun, it's still visible without having to overexpose the shot.

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365 IN ZION

365 Days in Zion is a photo experience by Karen and Christian Williams. Together, we spent an entire year in Zion National Park amidst snow, rain, flash floods, brush fires, and the beautiful sunny blue skies that typify Southern Utah in the United States of America.